It's that time again. Today, I will try to predict the Oriole win total using estimated playing time, projections and the WAR spreadsheet from Beyond the Boxscore.
I used Sky Kalkman's updated WAR Spreadsheet for the calculations and based on Matt Swartz's article on testing projections systems at Fangraphs.com, I used a combination of ZiPS and Oliver projections for the hitters and Steamer FIP projections for the pitchers.
I am assuming a 12 man pitching staff and based on that assumption, here are the 13 position players I have breaking camp:
C Matt Wieters
1B Chris Davis
2B Robert Andino
SS JJ Hardy
3B Mark Reynolds
RF Nick Markakis
CF Adam Jones
LF Nolan Reimold
IF/DH Wilson Betemit
OF Endy Chavez
IF Matt Antonelli
IF Ryan Flaherty
C Taylor Teagarden
I do not expect Brian Roberts to break camp with the rest of the team and I don't really expect him to contribute much to the Orioles going forward. That will allow the new corp of infielders to head north with the club. Nick Markakis may still start the season on the DL allowing Jai Miller a bit of playing time early.
The pitching situation is cloudier due to the current injuries, a few pitchers coming back from injury and sorting out all the options (or lack thereof) of relievers in camp. I did the best I could with the composition of the pitching staff and you could certainly trade out a Darren O'Day for a Kevin Gregg and I wouldn't have an argument with that. But the bullpen roster, outside of Jim Johnson and Matt Lindstrom, is anybody's guess and quite frankly there probably won't be a hige difference in performance. Troy Patton, for instance, is probably more wishful thinking on my part although I think he could be a very good bullpen arm. He is just as likely to be waived or traded as he is to make the team. Also wishful thinking is the departure via trade or waivers of Kevin Gregg. But I digress.
So, here it is:
A few thoughts and explanations...
- Even without the additions of big name (but old and ineffective) veterans this offseason, the projections only have the team winning 5 fewer games. (Vladimir Guerrero and Derrek Lee didn't even sniff their 2011 projections...)
- Oliver loves Chris Davis. It projected a .803 OPS for 2012. ZiPS hates Chris Davis. It projects a .739 OPS. It was the biggest discrepency on the team. I split the difference. Anything approching the Oliver projection for Davis would be really nice for the offense.
- I have probably overestimated the total team defense. I may have overestimated the impact of plus defenders and not taken enough away from some suspect defenders. Outside of Matt Wieters and JJ Hardy, there are no defensive standouts on the team (not even Adam Jones or Nick Markakis, Gold Gloves notwithstanding). Most of the team ranges from solid to awful. That said, I think Wieters' combination of stellar defense and a solid to great bat will make him the most valuable member of the team.
- You can see the impact that losing an above average starter that can throw 200 innings can have on a rotation. All those innings are going to have to be cobbled together around Jason Hammel, the only member of the starting staff that has thrown more than 170 innings in an MLB season.
- The NPB imports of Wei Chen and Tsuyoshi Wada do not have Steamer projections. Wada's is a ZiPS projection and Chen is just a wild guess. With Wada's injury and the general difficulty of projecting NPB pitchers, these innings and ERA projections are probably the best possible scenarios.
- Speaking of best possible scenarios, remember when we were all excited about the young Oriole arms? Now, according to projecitons, getting 130 innings of 4.69 ERA from Jake Arrieta seems to be the best performance we can expect from this group. (And given he is coming back from elbow surgery, that may be in question too.) With Zach Britton's shoulder soreness, Brian Matusz's big step back in 2011 and Chris Tillman's general ineffectiveness, it's hard to count on any of them to do big things in 2012.
- Mark Reynolds should, once again, be the best offensive player on the team. Take that how you will.
All of this breaks down to about 74 wins and, unlike the last couple of years, I don't see much chance of the Orioles exceeding that win total. In fact, I think this may be the best case scenario. OK, we could have a few position players take big steps forward (Jones, Wieters, Davis and Reimold) and a couple of the young pitchers could develop into reliable starters (Matusz, Britton and Arrieta) and the NPB imports could be better than advertised and the Orioles field a decent lineup and a solid pitching staff. But if you have been watching the O's over the past few seasons, you know how unlikely all these players hitting their ceilings in the same season seems.
Given that my predicitons in previous years have been a bit too optimistic, I think Baltimore will struggle to reach 70 wins in 2012. If they fail, it will be the 6th straight season that they have failed to reach the 70 win mark. I'll try to look for silver linings to this dark cloud in the coming weeks.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
El Mijo, Cereal olvidado
Alimento humano básico. Pocos saben que el mijo fue uno de los primeros cereales del hombre. En China e India ha sido el alimento básico durante más de 3.000 años. Hoy en día es el principal cereal para más de 400 millones de personas. Pueblos guerreros (etruscos, romanos, galos, griegos, persas, asirios, tártaros y visigodos) se alimentaban con mijo para mantenerse en forma física y mental.
Los hunzas del Himalaya (famosos por su longevidad) lo tienen como cereal básico. Es gustoso, dulce, liviano y alcalinizante. Además es más nutriente, energético y rico en sales minerales que los cereales más difundidos. Increíblemente, en nuestro país se lo consume muy poco y la gran mayoría lo considera despectivamente como alimento para pájaros...
Continúa leyendo más información nutricional del Mijo y deliciosas recetas en: http://www.prama.com.ar/alimentos_saludables/mijo.htm
Dems Oily Election Strategy
Worried Democrats urging President Obama to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to help their chances in an election year.
Who knew the SPR was supposed to be a slush fund for incumbent politicians to boost their electoral prospects?
Who knew the SPR was supposed to be a slush fund for incumbent politicians to boost their electoral prospects?
Aqua and Blush Pink Wedding Inspiration featuring Luxury Wedding Invitations by Lela New York
LOVING this color combo! A pale aqua and blush pink is so pretty!!! Check out Lela New York's luxury wedding invites in blush and aqua. Soft and romantic theses colors are like a breath of fresh air when mixed together. What do you guys think? Are you loving these wedding colors?
Details:
Luxury Wedding Invitations by Lela New York
Missoni Metallic Weave Shoulder Bag
J.Crew Strapless Aqua Bridesmaid Dress
Christian Louboutin Shoes
All other Image sources
xo
Meet Amy Rockwell
This mother of five started her own business in Clifton Heights five years ago. She went out of business two months ago. A lot happened in between. Not all of it bad.
My print column is up.
My print column is up.
Give That Man a Solygraph
Maybe because it was made at Solyndra headquarters. Time to break out the Algae-Powered Truth Dispenser.
Holman on Healthcare
Holman Jenkins exposes a little secret about our healthcare system that Obamacare didn't fix: It's grossly regressive.
Let's step back. ObamaCare is a specific instance of a broader truth about America's health-care policy: It's grossly regressive. The giant tax subsidy for employer-provided health insurance is most rewarding to those in the highest brackets. Medicare is regressive: It transfers money from working people, with few assets, to the elderly, who own most of America's wealth. Even Medicaid, the program for the poor, is morphing into a program for helping the middle class shield its assets from long-term care bills.
The cumulative impact of these interventions has given us the health-care system we have. Because it subsidizes third-party payership, it destroys any hope of price-value comparisons by consumers. Because it commits the cardinal economic impossibility of trying to subsidize everybody, the end result is not better health but higher costs in the form of rising prices and the provision of services of questionable value.Read it all.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Universidad para "Pobres" Escuela de Los Descazos
Amigos les compartimos ésta historia con un desarrollo puro del Hemisferio cerebral derecho: Universidad para "Pobres": En Rajastán, en la India, una escuela extraordinaria prepara a mujeres y hombres del campo –muchos de ellos analfabetos– para que lleguen a ser ingenieros solares, artesanos, dentistas y médicos en sus propias aldeas. Se llama Barefoot College (Escuela de descalzos) y su fundador, Bunker Roy, explica cómo funciona.
Click en el enlace para acceder al video:
Tuesday Shoe Day | Wedding Shoes | Jimmy Choo
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| Photo by Robin Dini Photography |
Just some pretty loveliness your way! Happy Tuesday Shoe day!
LOVE these Jimmy Choo Wedding Shoes :)
xo
Give Me Liberty or... You Know, Just Tell Me What To Do
Headline:
Danica Patrick finishes 38th in Daytona 500.She was probably just following orders from the Obama Administration.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Without Change, No Hope
Walter Russell Mead sez:
Education is where the rubber meets the road: it is the system which does the most, good or bad, to produce a generation of Americans who will be able to operate effectively in the more entrepreneurial workplace that is coming — and it is one of America’s most dysfunctional and change-resistant sectors.Read it all.
Red Carpet to White Carpet Inspiration | Oscar Fashion 2012
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| Image Source |
LOVE that most of the celebs were wearing so many wedding inspired gowns! In whites and creams! I can so see any one of these on a bride walking down the white carpet.
I think actress Rooney Mara was my FAVE :) Which one was yours?
xo
Sunday, February 26, 2012
More on Religious Freedom, Victim a Doofus.
(Posted by Dannytheman)
In Mechanicsburg, PA, which lies just west of Harrisburg, PA, it looks to many, including me, that Sharia Law has arrived.
Read it yourself, right here. How do we hold a Judge up to misconduct charges? So, in his eyes, everyone who wants to can walk up to a anti abortion protester and bust them in the mouth? I mean they are stressing their religious beliefs, and if you are pro choice, go pop them in the mouth?(In Mechanicsburg, at least)
My personal favorite line from the Judges own mouth, "Here in our society, we have a Constitution that gives us many rights, specifically First Amendment rights. It's unfortunate that some people use the First Amendment to deliberately provoke others. I don't think that's what our forefathers intended. I think our forefathers intended to use the First Amendment so we can speak with our mind, not to piss off other people and cultures – which is what you did."
In Mechanicsburg, PA, which lies just west of Harrisburg, PA, it looks to many, including me, that Sharia Law has arrived.
Read it yourself, right here. How do we hold a Judge up to misconduct charges? So, in his eyes, everyone who wants to can walk up to a anti abortion protester and bust them in the mouth? I mean they are stressing their religious beliefs, and if you are pro choice, go pop them in the mouth?(In Mechanicsburg, at least)
My personal favorite line from the Judges own mouth, "Here in our society, we have a Constitution that gives us many rights, specifically First Amendment rights. It's unfortunate that some people use the First Amendment to deliberately provoke others. I don't think that's what our forefathers intended. I think our forefathers intended to use the First Amendment so we can speak with our mind, not to piss off other people and cultures – which is what you did."
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Refreshing shoes
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| front top left : lime shoes - Alexander Wang fish shoes - yellow shoes - multi pastel flats - double platform blue shoes - Vuitton pastel sabot - light blue shoes - tall wedges |
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| from up left: pattern platform shoes - metal stilettos - black pink Diego Dolcini shoes - orange shoes- Casadei cut out wedges - pink suede shoes |
What better way to start Sunday if not with some shoe shopping? Spring shoes are fresh as sorbets, ready to quench our thirst of shopping. Here I listed some of my favorite pastel ones.
The Case Against Msgr. Lynn
A case of the cover-up not being worse than the crime.
Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua ordered aides to shred a 1994 memo that identified 35 Archdiocese of Philadelphia priests suspected of sexually abusing children, according to a new court filing.
The order, outlined in a handwritten note locked away for years at the archdiocese's Center City offices, was disclosed Friday by lawyers for Msgr. William J. Lynn, the former church administrator facing trial next month.
They say the shredding directive proves what Lynn has long claimed: that a church conspiracy to conceal clergy sex abuse was orchestrated at levels far above him.
"It is beyond doubt that Msgr. Lynn was completely unaware of this act of obstruction," attorneys Jeffrey Lindy and Thomas Bergstrom wrote.
Oh, Daddy!
Race car driver, practicing Catholic and Go-Daddy spokesmodel, Danica Patrick gives this response when asked about the Obama Administration's birth control mandate:
"I leave it up to the government to make good decisions for Americans."
Spoken like a discerning, thoughtful and liberty-loving citizen.
"I leave it up to the government to make good decisions for Americans."
Spoken like a discerning, thoughtful and liberty-loving citizen.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Love Yu Trunk Show
Hello All!
Today and this weekend their is a Love Yu trunk show at Lovely Bride here in NYC. Love Yu features such beautifully chic designs and styles of wedding gowns including bridesmaid dresses too. So make your appointment ladies ;)
Details:
Love Yu
February 24-26th
at Lovely Bride
313 W4th Street
212-924-2050
xo
Moralizer in Chief?
Kim Strassel points out Santorum's shortcomings as a general election candidate. He ain't doing that well with moderate Republican women either.
His finger-wagging on contraception and child-rearing and "homosexual acts" disrespects the vast majority of couples who use birth control, or who refuse to believe that the emancipation of women, or society's increasing tolerance of gays, signals the end of the Republic. It's why a recent poll out of Arizona showed women favoring Mitt Romney over Rick Santorum by 2 to 1. And these are Republican women.
Peacock feather collar for the masquerade ball DIY
A masquerade ball is the right place to show a fancy ball dress or a statement accessory and you even risk to pass unoticed. Excess and fun are the main characteristics of Carnival. How can we transform the spirit of this crazy feast day into something wearable? For me feathers and bright colors are the best choice. This is how the idea of this collar is born. Match it with a multi color eye make up and have fun. See how to make the collar after the jump.
Un ballo in maschera è l'occasione adatta per indossare un vestito o un accessorio vistoso rischiando anche di non essere notate. Eccesso e divertimento sono le caratteristiche principali del Carnevale. Come possiamo trasformare lo spirito della festa più pazza dell'anno in un capo indossabile? Piume e colori vivaci sono un ottima scelta ed è così che nasce l'idea di questa collana da abbinare ad un make up rigorosamente multicolor.
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| supply: a feather boa and some peacock feathers, a piece of black cotton and glue(lots of it) vi serviranno: un boa di piume, qualche piuma di pavone, un ritaglio di cotone e colla |
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| I cut the pattern twice, I sewed two pieces together then I turned the collar inside out Ritagliate 2 volte il modello, cucite i due pezzi di stoffa uno sull'altro e poi mettete il colletto a dritto |
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| I took off some feathers from the boa then I glued them onto the collar Staccate le piume dal boa e incollatele sul colletto |
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| this is how the collar looks covered by feathers ecco il colletto coperto di piume |
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| I added peacock feathers and then more black feathers for extra volume and fluffiness Incollate anche le piume di pavone e continuate ad incollare piume per aggiungere volume alla costruzione |
Thursday, February 23, 2012
New York Wedding Engagement in Central Park
LOVE this New York Wedding Engagement in Central Park of Alyssa & Evan.
Thanks to the amazing Ariane Moshayedi Photography for this beautiful shoot!
xo
DIY idea: Acne leather cut out skirt
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| Acne spring 2012 |
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| Acne spring 2012 |
E' una gonna originale quella disegnata da Acne per la primavera 2012. Può essere realizzata ritagliando delle stelle dalla vostra gonna in pelle. Non sarà necessario cucire nulla perchè la pelle non sfila e questo la rende una perfetta materia prima per i nostri fashion diy.
A Black Eye
Conrad Black is clear-eyed about the President Obama's gambit of bullying the Catholic church with his contraceptives mandate.
There is no question that the great majority of Americans favor accessible contraception (probably, so do most of the Catholic clergy). And early polls show that a slight majority of Catholics favor obligatory insurance of contraception to employees even of Catholic institutions. But the consequences of such a step in respect of abortion and sterilization and the constitutional implications of it have not sunk in.
The Pearl Harbor nature of the move and the unholy alliance between the government and the most abrasive groups in the abortion coalition could cause the administration problems. And even if the majority sticks with the administration, since these are groups that were in its pocket anyway, any slippage in moderate opinion could be decisive.We shall see.
The Electability Factor
George Will is unimpressed with the electability of either Rick Santorum or Mitt Romney.
Romney is right about the futility of many current policies, but being offended by irrationality is insufficient. Santorum is right to be alarmed by many cultural trends but implies that religion must be the nexus between politics and cultural reform. Romney is not attracting people who want rationality leavened by romance. Santorum is repelling people who want politics unmediated by theology.Neither Romney nor Santorum looks like a formidable candidate for November.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
The Devil is in the Details
Frank J. reflects on all this Satan stuff:
The Drudge Report pulled up a speech Rick Santorum gave about Satan going after America, and it’s become a bit of a story. Apparently it’s not “hip” or “groovy” to talk about Satan as if he’s a real thing. DrewM had a good point on Twitter: Since Obama is all like Christian and stuff, shouldn’t a reporter ask him if he thinks Satan is real?
“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” And now you get mocked for even bringing him up. That guy is pretty slick. But why worry about ancient silly things like Satan when we live in a modern world where we can force other people to buy it abortifacients?I bet I know what Obama would say. He would say knowing whether Satan is real or not is above his pay grade. Go ask Rev. "God Damn America" Wright!
A New, Improved Climate-Change Scandal
A famous and influential climate-change activist named Peter Gleick has admitted to a stunning breach of ethics (and maybe the law) in getting a hold of documents from an advocacy group of free-market, climate-change skeptics.
What he hasn't admitted to (yet) is forging a document meant to make the Heartland Institute even more nefarious than he and his fellow activists believe it is.
His friends and colleagues are beside themselves and trying to downplay the awfulness of what he has already admitted to doing.
The Atlantic's Megan McArdle has a good, even-handed, recounting of it here.
More here.
What he hasn't admitted to (yet) is forging a document meant to make the Heartland Institute even more nefarious than he and his fellow activists believe it is.
His friends and colleagues are beside themselves and trying to downplay the awfulness of what he has already admitted to doing.
The Atlantic's Megan McArdle has a good, even-handed, recounting of it here.
More here.
Why We Love Australians...
... and, of course, the Lama!
If this doesn't make you smile, you're a horrible human being.
If this doesn't make you smile, you're a horrible human being.
Is Barack Obama a Christian? Ask Bill Maher
Evangelist Franklin Graham is asked whether he thinks President Obama is a Christian and basically says he doesn't know.
I wonder why?
UPDATE: In trashing Rick Santorum as a "small-town mullah," NYT columnist Maureen Dowd recently wrote that Graham "heinously doubted the president’s Christianity on 'Morning Joe.'"
This is what passes for high-minded outrage among big-town progressives. Their arrogance is a sight to behold. An ugly one.
"You have to ask President Obama" Graham said. "People have to ask Barack Obama. He's come out saying he's a Christian, so I think the question is, 'What is a Christian?'"
When Geist pressed the point, Graham repeated that Obama has said he was a Christian, "so I just have to assume that he is."
Graham recounted a story that Obama told him he started going to church as a young community organizer in Chicago because community members had insisted on it.
"I cannot answer [whether someone is a Christian] for anybody," Graham said. "All I know is I'm a sinner, and God has forgiven me of my sins because I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ."Graham seems to be getting a lot of flack for his measured opinion. A lot more than proud atheist Bill Maher got when he theorized that Barack Obama was flat-out lying about being Christian.
I wonder why?
UPDATE: In trashing Rick Santorum as a "small-town mullah," NYT columnist Maureen Dowd recently wrote that Graham "heinously doubted the president’s Christianity on 'Morning Joe.'"
This is what passes for high-minded outrage among big-town progressives. Their arrogance is a sight to behold. An ugly one.
More Gun Nonsense in Chester
Here we go again.
In the hopes of cutting down the amount of gun violence in the city of Chester, in 2010, public officials passed an ordinance that would require residents to report a lost or stolen gun within 72 hours. The penalty for not doing so is a $1,000 fine and or 90 days in jail.
Chester is one of about 30 municipalities in the state that have passed such a law.
Now a Republican state legislator has proposed a bill that would allow any citizen who is hauled into court on such a charge to recover damages from the charging municipality.
Seems fair to me.
Gun rights protectors argue that such laws are designed to discourage and penalize law-abiding gun owners. They are right.
Gun control advocates say that gun owners should be required to report lost or stolen guns because they are so dangerous when they fall into the wrong hands. They certainly have a point.
And yet, such gun control laws haven't been shown to have any serious effect on gun violence anywhere in this country. They are more designed to allow local politicians to appear to be doing something about gun crime, than actually doing anything effective.
When it comes to regulating guns and imposing laws on their owners, that's exclusively a state power. And even that power is quite limited thanks to the Second Amendment. Being a pro-gun state, Pa. voters do not take lightly to have their gun rights abrogated. When it comes to firearms, President Obama was right about us. We're clingy.
It is hard to believe that the ability to charge gun owners who failed to report stolen weapons will have any impact on gun violence in Chester or anywhere else. To gun rights activists such laws are nothing but the camel's nose under the tent. Once local authorities take it as their right to impose such laws on their citizens, they will attempt to impose more.
Responsible gun owners will and should report stolen firearms. But as one commenter on the story asked, who loses a gun? Guns are not wallets or car keys, which seem to go missing with amazing regularity - at least in my household. People who are constantly misplacing their guns seem to me rare indeed.
Such ordinances will do little or nothing to combat gun violence and should be exposed for what they are; political feel-good, "at least we're doing something" measures. They are also something else; an illegal power grab by local governments. They should be challenged for that reason alone.
In the hopes of cutting down the amount of gun violence in the city of Chester, in 2010, public officials passed an ordinance that would require residents to report a lost or stolen gun within 72 hours. The penalty for not doing so is a $1,000 fine and or 90 days in jail.
Chester is one of about 30 municipalities in the state that have passed such a law.
Now a Republican state legislator has proposed a bill that would allow any citizen who is hauled into court on such a charge to recover damages from the charging municipality.
Seems fair to me.
Gun rights protectors argue that such laws are designed to discourage and penalize law-abiding gun owners. They are right.
Gun control advocates say that gun owners should be required to report lost or stolen guns because they are so dangerous when they fall into the wrong hands. They certainly have a point.
And yet, such gun control laws haven't been shown to have any serious effect on gun violence anywhere in this country. They are more designed to allow local politicians to appear to be doing something about gun crime, than actually doing anything effective.
When it comes to regulating guns and imposing laws on their owners, that's exclusively a state power. And even that power is quite limited thanks to the Second Amendment. Being a pro-gun state, Pa. voters do not take lightly to have their gun rights abrogated. When it comes to firearms, President Obama was right about us. We're clingy.
It is hard to believe that the ability to charge gun owners who failed to report stolen weapons will have any impact on gun violence in Chester or anywhere else. To gun rights activists such laws are nothing but the camel's nose under the tent. Once local authorities take it as their right to impose such laws on their citizens, they will attempt to impose more.
Responsible gun owners will and should report stolen firearms. But as one commenter on the story asked, who loses a gun? Guns are not wallets or car keys, which seem to go missing with amazing regularity - at least in my household. People who are constantly misplacing their guns seem to me rare indeed.
Such ordinances will do little or nothing to combat gun violence and should be exposed for what they are; political feel-good, "at least we're doing something" measures. They are also something else; an illegal power grab by local governments. They should be challenged for that reason alone.
Fashion week looks from the streets
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| Audrey Hepburn looking jealous of the studded clutch this man is wearing |
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| shoes chatting about latest trends |
Milano fashion week lands today and some of the biggest names of fashion will walk down the runway. I promise to keep my eyes opened fo you to spot trendy DIY ideas. Today I would like to share with you some streetstyle looks I snapped in Milan (pretenting to be Scott Schuman ) last september during fashion week .
La settimana della moda milanese è ai nastri di partenza. Da oggi fino al 28 Febbraio alcuni degli stilisti più famosi del globo sfileranno sulla passerella e io prometto di tenere gli occhi aperti per individuare i più trendy diy. Oggi vorrei condividere con voi qualche look che ho immortalato (fingendo di essere Scott Schuman) lo scorso settembre a Milano durante la fashion week .
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| Versace show |
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| Believe it or not, this unexpected pop of color walking down the street is Anna Dello Russo. I know it's not a great pic but she's the fastest fashion vision you can encounter. She was literally running in high heels from a show to another and I wasn't fast enough to catch her. |
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| these are a pair of Etro pants |
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| at Marras show - Marras |
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| Moschino invitation card was a lovely fan |
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| at Moschino |
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| pirate loafers |
Wag the Birth Control
Turning up the heat in the culture wars, The White House is attempting to distract voters from its own failure to improve the economy. Could work.
My print column is up.
My print column is up.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Tim Miller: Artiste
Villanova University cancelled a week-long workshop by a gay performance artist named Tim Miller who apparently makes his living going from university to university ranting about how tough it is to be gay in America. His "art" includes simulated sex acts, nudity, descriptions of youthful masturbation and playing his father's sperm as he "f---ed" his mother.
As a member of ACT-UP, a gay and virulently anti-Catholic protest group, he organized and engaged in various acts of civil disobedience that led to numerous arrests of which he remains very proud.
As part of his act, he calls the politicians who took away his NEA grant back in the 1990s, certain "f--- ed up, right-wing senators and congress people in Washington." How dare they.
I had never heard of Tim Miller until this "controversy," which he attributes to "homophobia," blah, blah, blah.
But after reading about him, I watched this video of one of his artistic performances. It's called Glory Box. Check it out. See what you think. Did Villanova make the right decision?
More in my print column tomorrow. But let's face it, for a militantly gay performance artiste there is no such thing as bad publicity.
As a member of ACT-UP, a gay and virulently anti-Catholic protest group, he organized and engaged in various acts of civil disobedience that led to numerous arrests of which he remains very proud.
As part of his act, he calls the politicians who took away his NEA grant back in the 1990s, certain "f--- ed up, right-wing senators and congress people in Washington." How dare they.
I had never heard of Tim Miller until this "controversy," which he attributes to "homophobia," blah, blah, blah.
But after reading about him, I watched this video of one of his artistic performances. It's called Glory Box. Check it out. See what you think. Did Villanova make the right decision?
More in my print column tomorrow. But let's face it, for a militantly gay performance artiste there is no such thing as bad publicity.
Pink + Blue Vintage Travel Fashion Inspiration
Yesterday's post had me dreaming of a getaway and I don't know about you but I'm so ready for a vaca! Plus I know many of you are starting to think about your honeymoon! SO here is some pretty inspiration for your travels in a super sweet pink + blue. Aaaah...let's close our eyes and dream ;) Enjoy!
Details:
Zimmermann short jumpsuit, $71
Tory burch sandals, $195
All Aboard Kate spade handbag, $78
Isla Tag luggage, $175
Pan Am FOSSIL travel luggage, $45
Yves Saint Laurent clutch handbag, £510
Maison Martin Margiela leather tag-s iphone case, $245
xo
Marni for H&M inspired necklace DIY
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| Marni for H&M on Vogue Russia |
Another H&M designer collaboration wll hit the stores on 8th of March. It's the turn of Marni a sophisticated luxury italian brand. H&M abandons the big names of the fashion industry known by the masses and chooses an intellectual fashion house. We could say that H&M goes radical chic in fact it also picks Sofia Coppola to direct the tv commercial. Marni is known for prints and patterns with a vintage feel and for big statement jewels. The collection designed for H&M has Marni written all over it. It's tribal, vintage and also bohemian and bauhaus. The full lookbook has been disclosed only a few days ago.
See the full Marni for H&M lookbook here. Will you queue outside H&M stores?
Now let's get back to today's diy project. I think that jewelry is the best part of this Marni collection. Every piece looks like a 70's jewel and it's either in wood or in plastic. The plastic leaves necklace you see above are my favorites. I can make a similar one with just a lighter and an empty bottle. See how I made it.
H&M continua la sua collaborazione con i grandi brand e l'8 marzo sarà il turno di Marni. H&M abbandona i grandi nomi del fashion industry conosciuti dal grande pubblico e sceglie invece un brand di nicchia e più intellettuale. Potremmo dire che quella del colosso svedese sia una scelta radical chic sottolineata anche dal nome di Sofia Coppola scelta per la regia dello spot. Marni è conosciuto per le sue stampe dal sapore vintage e i grandi gioielli e la collezione disegnata per H&M rispetta il dna della maison. Si potrebbe definire una collezione dal sapore vintage con influenze tribali, sia bohemien che bauhaus. Il lookbook completo è stato svelato da poco, cliccate qui per vederlo. La collezione sarà disponibile solo in negozi selezionati. Che dite? Farete la fila fuori?
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| A colored bottle |
I didn't care what was inside the bottle, I picked this orange juice only for the color of the bottle (is it weird?).
By the way get a plastic bottle.
Scegliete una bottiglia di plastica
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| empty it and cut it vuotatela e tagliatela |
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| Cut out a leaf shape and get a lighter Ritagliate una foglia e prendete un accendino |
Now this is the fun part: warm up the plastic leaf with the lighter. Keep it a little far from it. You'll see the plastic leaf bend and become tridimensional. It will look much more like a real leaf. These 3d leaves will add volume to the statament necklace.
Ecco la parte divertente: scaldate la foglia con l'accendino mantenendolo ad una certa distanza. Vedrete la plastica piegarsi e assumere un aspetto tridimensionale che servirà a dare volume alla collana. In più otterrete una foglia molto realistica.
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| here's the first leaf ecco come appare la prima foglia |
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| Cut the bottle in pieces Ora ritagliate tutta la bottiglia |
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| Curl all the pieces e piegate tutte le foglie |
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| Insert one leaf after another Infilatele una dietro l'altra in un filo |
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| these are three layers qui in alto tre strati sovrapposti di foglie |
Ho aggiunto un paio di perline ed ho ultimato la collana con filo e l'uncinetto realizzando la fettuccia rumena che già ho utilizzato nel vestito diy di Stella MCartney.
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